Phoenix Queen: The Beginning

CHAPTER ONE

She was counting down to weeks. 

Two weeks.

Another horrible phase of her life would be over, in two weeks, and she would be left to look forward to, possibly, an even more phase. 

Endia had a long tire of being optimistic. She had been 12, and it was her first day in Middle School, when she concluded, that there would be no bright and sunny day in her life, that everything would just go as planned, and she wouldn't have to deal with horrible people. Horrible people were sort of, part of whatever life plan she had subscribed to when she came down to earth. It never stopped, and hiding, was, well…impossible.

 She stood out for multiple reasons - none of them, particularly good. Some people stood out for being funny, some others stood out because they were born with great genes and awesome looks, some stood out because of their athletic abilities, and some, because of their intelligence. Endia didn't quite fit into any of the mentioned groups. She stood out for looking odd, speaking funny, and being, extremely awkward. 

 Elementary school and Middle School had been hard enough, but High School felt the need to outdo them, and so far, it was certainly winning. She wasn't sure if College was something she should be looking forward to, but she didn't have the heart to tell her parents that. They were so excited to send her off to college, she had even gotten a scholarship, to study Arts; it was the only thing she was good at, but it didn't particularly translate to popularity in the school hallways.

 Endia trod into her house, the silence that greeted her was expected. Both her parents ran a private practice, and since she turned sixteen, they had started spending longer at the practice, believing she could take care of herself, till they returned by night. Being the only child of two doctors, had its perks, but for the most part, Endia didn't see as much of her parents, as she knew others did. She would have been incredibly lonely if she didn't have the company of Juno.

Speaking of Juno….

 "Perhaps you should draft emancipation papers, already."

 Endia smiled and shook her head at her friend, "I'll be eighteen in a few weeks, I doubt anyone would take me seriously if I walked into an office and asked for emancipation papers." She stated.

 Endia had known Juno for what was going into fourteen years. He had appeared by her window sill, one morning, while she was preparing for school, and they had been inseparable ever since. Her parents had thought he was her imaginary friend, and for a while, she had believed that too. But, she would be eighteen soon, and Juno was still in her life, her understanding of an imaginary friend was one that only existed during childhood. She had learned to stop mentioning Juno to her parents, after she turned fourteen, and realized that they were concerned by her inability to rid herself of her imaginary friend. She understood how talking about Juno, at her age, could disturb her parents. For a while, it had disturbed her enough that he had tried to get rid of the tiny creature. She had honestly thought to ignore him, would make him go away. But then, ignoring him, meant she wouldn't have company, and he remained a constant in her life, irrespective of her brief lapse in judgment. 

 "You never know." Juno quipped.

 Endia ignored him, as she made her way upstairs. She took a quick bath first and figured she could get to some of her classwork, before eating. She didn't feel hungry yet. It was another part of her parents hadn't quite understood yet; she didn't eat much, was rarely hungry, but still managed to maintain a certain weight. Endia never thought much of it, but as a child, she had been to enough pediatricians to know, that she probably should have.

 It took her a few hours to finish up with her homework, mostly with the help of Juno. By the time her parents were walking into the house, Endia was already sitting cozily in the living room, and watching a game show on television. She raised her hazel gaze to look their way, as they came in, a tiny smile, dancing against her lips, "Hey guys, welcome." She greeted.

 "Endia…" her mother began, "…how are you, sweetheart?" she asked, as he walked up to her, and gave her a peck on her cheek.

 Endia beamed at her, "I'm fine, mom. How was work?"

 She shrugged, "It was okay, you know, the usual. Have you had dinner?"

"Yeah."

 "Endia." Her father gave her a curt nod. He wasn't quite as good with showing affection as her mother was. Endia had long learned that of him. Once upon a time, when she was younger, he used to shower her with his affections, but since her Juno-related issues, it had dwindled rather noticeably. She never spoke on it, and sometimes, she felt her mother's excessive show of affection, was the only way she knew how to not show that even though she had her reservations about her state of mind. She would take whatever she was given though.

 "Dad" she responded. She watched him go up the stairs, without another word, her eyes lingering in the space he had just left. Some days, she wished he would bother speaking to her, even if for nothing else, just so, he would realize she wasn't the freak he thought she was. He never called her a freak, but Endia wasn't foolish, she could read his body language fine and good. 

 Her mother's comforting hand on her shoulder, pulled her gaze away from the space her father had been in seconds ago, "Let me go and wash up, and then we can chat, okay?" 

 Endia managed a smile and nodded in the affirmative. And then, her mother was turning her back to her, and walking away. Endia lowered her gaze down to her feet and wiggled her toes in thought. She wished she could go back to the days when they didn't look at her with concern in their eyes when one look didn't feel like they had a thousand words they wanted to say, but no idea how to say it. 

 She felt a warm hand on the back of hers, and she raised her gaze to Juno's sad eyes, he smiled softly at her, his purple eyes filled with all the love, she now searched for, in her parents', "Remember what I always tell you? Someday, we'll leave this place, and I'll take you somewhere nice, where no one will look at you with pity."

 Endia smiled, "Yeah, your magical world, right?" she chuckled softly. Juno had been telling her that since she met him. It was probably one of the stories that had most scared her parents. She used to tell it to them with so much excitement and enthusiasm, and they had entertained her childish stories while she was a child, but then, she mentioned it again at fourteen, and their reaction was noticeably different. 

 "It's as real as this one, just, not as boring."

 Endia couldn't help her laughter, "Sure, Juno, sure."

 Although she didn't say it, Endia didn't believe in this world Juno spoke of. He didn't give her enough details about his world, because he told her he wasn't allowed to. She just assumed he was probably exiled from his world, or something, and had to spend time on earth. It was much better than thinking she was loony and was seeing some imaginary friend and giving him an entire imaginary world, in a bid to support the defense of her sanity. 

 "You'll see," Juno assured her.

 Perhaps, an imaginary world wouldn't be so bad for her right now. Anything was better than living this life.

****

 A house party with lots of drinks and loud music.

 A small hangout at a diner, or a skating rink.

 Endia could think of multiple ways to celebrate her eighteenth birthday, but all of them required a certain ingredient, she was missing- friends. She did not have enough friends to plan these parties or even invite them to them. She had woken up to a birthday song from her mother and a nice breakfast from her father, she went to school and had walked down the hallway, looking for a familiar face. One or two people, did send her a smile, and one person had remembered it was her birthday right around the time, the school was over. 

 No friends, though. 

Juno's excitement was through the roof though. He wouldn't stop chattering and kept telling her that today was the day. It wasn't contagious enough for her, however. Endia just wanted the day to be over. So, when Juno suggested they go bird watching when school was over, she was a little bit apprehensive. It wasn't a pastime she had indulged in. one or two times, as a child, her father had taken her bird-watching, but it didn't hold the same excitement for her, as an adult, especially as she knew, the only thing it would bring were memories of a time her father showed her affection. It had taken a lot of convincing from Juno, but eventually, Endia gave in. he was her one friend that had planned something out for her, and what kind of person would she be, if she refused to indulge him because the rest of her day had been drab? 

 That was how they ended up at the pier, watching a flock of birds. At first, Endia couldn't concentrate on the animals, because her thoughts were in a haze, however, Juno's continuous chatter of excitement soon rubbed off on her, and she found herself paying more attention to the interactions of the birds. She went from sitting back to sitting up, and then, at the edge of the bench, as she became even more engrossed in the interactions. She felt particularly drawn to a group of chicks, that just seemed to be on their own. They were a distinct color, their rainbow feathers, reminding her of her eyes. She had been told that while she did have hazel eyes indoors when she was outside, and the sun hit her eyes, they looked like a kaleidoscope. She stood up and approached the tiny birds, a small smile on her face, she reached into her pocket and pulled out some of the bread crumbs they had bought on their way to the pier, thankful that Juno had made her buy it. She lowered herself to feed the birds and opened her hands, all of the birds rushed toward her. She giggled softly, as their tiny beaks fed from her hand. This had to be the most fun she had had in so long, even she, couldn't recall. It was such a simple act, nothing she had ever thought, she could find actual excitement in, but she did find excitement in it. For over a minute, she kept taking out bread crumbs, and watching the little birds come to her, and feed on her hands. It felt so fulfilling. It felt…natural. The birds seemed happy, and their happiness filled her up; it made her happy that she made the birds happy. 

 She slowly reached out to pet the birds, and they, in turn, moved closer, seemingly eager for her touch. A loud shriek, suddenly had Endia pulling her hand away and turning around, just in time to notice a large, angry bird heading her way. Her eyes widened at its approach, her feet moving clumsily to get away from the intimidating animal, but rather than make a proper retreat, she fell on her ass, she scrambled backward, as the bird moved in, her heart thudding loudly in her chest. She had never seen anything of this size, all her life. She screamed and closed her eyes shut, as it swooped down. A sudden light, an airy feeling came to her, Endia opened her eyes and found that she had left the ground and was now in the air. 

 What the hell was going on? How…? A loud shriek told her all she needed to know, "Juno!" she screamed, as she began flailing wildly, in a bid to get out of the bird's grasp. There was no way her birthday was going to end with her getting kidnapped by some wild animal. It was one thing to have bad luck, but this was some devious machination in its right, "Juno…please!" she cried out, but her imaginary friend was nowhere around. She continued to wildly flail her arms, as the bird flew over the mass of water below. The air was chilly, and she found that breathing was getting increasingly difficult. Where was this thing taking her? 

 As she moved her hands wildly once more, she felt the bird's claws release her, the next thing she knew she was dropping into the body of water with a scream. 

 A sharp chill ran down her spine, as Endia felt herself crash into the sea, she moved her arms wildly, to reach the surface. She had no idea if she was anywhere close to the shore, but she would swim until she got help. She had never been more thankful that her parents, at least, ensured she learned to swim. Getting kidnapped by a bird and drowning on her birthday was not a good way to make the news. She swam upwards, toward the light above, until her head popped out of the water. 

 What the…?

 Endia looked around, her eyes scanning the area around the water, to make sense of where she was. This didn't look like an endless sea of water. There wasn't even a building in sight, but she could see land. This looked nothing like her city. The grass was incredibly green, there were flowers around her, pretty flowers. What was this place? 

 "Endia!"

 Endia turned around, to find… "Juno!" her friend was at the edge of the lake she was now in, waving his arms at her. Endia swam towards him, just glad to see a familiar face. Had the bird also picked him up? Did it have a partner she had not seen that had picked him up? Then again, how could the partner have seen Juno, when, to the best of her knowledge, she was the only one that could see him? Unless….perhaps animals had a heightened sense of sight that humans just didn't have? 

 Whatever it was, at least with Juno, she was more certain that they could just find their way back to the pier, from wherever this place was. 

 She had barely taken three strokes in the pool, when she once again, felt herself being lifted out of the water. Endia tried to scream, fearing that the bird that dropped her, had come back to finish its work, but a few tiny giggles had her looking up, to be sure. If her eyes could pop out of her sockets, they would. Was she lucid right now? Or had that bird dropped her, headfirst onto a rock, and she was just lying unconscious, while her mind had transported her to a strange environment? She had read enough books and seen enough pictures to know what a fairy looked like, and these things, in colorful outfits and with tiny, but powerful wings, looked to be fairies. 

 She was dropped carefully onto the dry, soft grass, where Juno was waiting for her. Endia sat up and scrambled backward, as she watched the fairies fly away, chattering to themselves while taking glances back at her. She blinked a couple of times to be sure she wasn't seeing things. Was she caught up in some alternate universe? Was she in a coma? Or maybe she had a concussion from hitting the water so hard, and it was messing with her head.

 "Endia." 

 Her head snapped over to Juno, who she quickly wrapped in a hug, "Oh, thank God, Juno! I thought I lost you."

 Juno smiled at her, as he eased himself out of her hug, "Lost me? You can never lose me, Endia." He giggled.

 "That bird, it just came out of nowhere and attacked me, did it attack you too?" she asked, "Where are we anyway? We need to get going, my mom will lose her mind if I'm not home before they are." Endia said as she scrambled onto her feet, eager to get moving.

 "Endia, wait," Juno said.

 "What's the problem?" she asked, her eyes suddenly grew wide, as she realized, she had barely allowed Juno to speak, "Were you hurt? Did it drop you to the ground? Did you break something?" she asked, as she began looking her friend over, searching for any signs of injury on his form. Her perusal, came to an abrupt end, however, when she noticed his ears looked different…pointy. 

 She reached for it, and touched it softly, causing Juno to giggle, "Stop, I'm tickly."

 "Juno, your ears are pointy." She observed…and that wasn't all that was different about him. He seemed taller too, not quite as tall as she was, but he had grown some extra inches, he also had on a different outfit from what she remembered. He was dressed in yellow pants, a yellow jacket, and brown clogs. A green hat sat atop his head of dark hair, his eyes looked larger, taking up more of his face than she remembered, he looked adorably cute but distinctly different, "You're…different." She finished. Her mind tried to make sense of what she was looking at…who she was looking at, it was still Juno, but not quite the Juno she had been with minutes ago.

 He took her hand and held it in his tinier one, "Remember when I told you I'd take you somewhere special on your birthday?" He asked softly.

 Endia stared at him for a while, unable to answer the question, unsure if she wanted to answer it. She feared that whatever he was going to say, once she had answered his question, was sure to have her thoughts scrambled, was it something she wanted to hear? Did she have an inkling of what was going on, even before Juno stated it? What did she think was going on anyway? There was only one way to find out, right? "Yes…" she answered, that one word, sounded like a cross between a question and a statement to her ears. 

 Juno sent her a warm smile, as his other hand, reached out to touch her cheek, "We're here."

CHAPTER TWO

Here.

Here wasn't earth…at least not the earth she had spent the first eighteen years of her life. There was some land according to a few humans that should have never existed outside of fairy tales. Here was a land of magical creatures of all types, as well as plants she had never seen or heard of in her life. 

 Juno took her hand and led her through this new world, the fairies had been interesting enough, but then, she encountered talking animals, she saw dragons, flying over her in the air, centaurs that looked rather fearful, and Endia was smitten. Every creature she met was friendly, chatty, and approached her so easily, just like the birds at the pier. Juno had explained to her what each of the creatures was responsible for in the kingdom; the dragons were the watch guards; they flew over the entire land at odd hours, watching for imminent danger, the centaurs did work as the guards on land, but they mostly worked in the royal houses, and those who didn't, provided good labor for heavy lifting, whenever the town's people needed them. There were others; healers, mages, trolls, but they lived on other sides of the kingdom. Juno told her he was an elf, which explained the pointy ears. He and his people were workers. They worked on farms, and in factories. They were responsible for most of the furniture produced within the kingdom, as well as the toys for the children. They lived simply because they didn't earn much. 

 It was so much information to assimilate, Endia had no idea where to begin from. She felt like she had eaten an unhealthy amount of cheeseburgers by the end of the tour, but rather than nauseate her, she felt filled and eager for more. Her eyes glimmered at everything that was pointed to her, she chatted heartily with whichever animals had her time. Some asked if it was her first time in the land, and she responded in the affirmative. They were so easy to talk to. it was nothing like where she had come from. 

 This was the most alive she had ever felt. Perhaps, it was because she was somewhere new, and no one thought she was a freak here…or was there something in the water she had drunk at a tap? As Endia walked with Juno, who offered to show her his house, she couldn't think of a better way to spend her birthday. This had indeed been a revealing day. 

  Juno's family was warm and welcoming. He lived with his parents and two siblings. They welcomed her with warmth and were quick to tell her they had heard all about her. It was from them, that she learned Juno had equally been a rather young elf when he was sent to her. Their home was bubbly and full of life, it was the kind of home Endia wished she had grown up in, but as soon as the thought came to her, she had to cast it away. Just because her home wasn't like that of Juno, didn't mean her parents hadn't tried to make it so. They gave her what they could give her, and the thought of even blaming them one bit, for how suffocating she found her home, didn't sit right with her. 

 She was given a room, where she could change out of her damp clothes. Endia wasn't sure what to make of the tiny room when she walked into it, but then, something rather unexpected happened to her entrance' she has suddenly spun around, and a light airy feeling moved through her. By the time she was still, she found that her clothes had been changed, and she now had on a yellow dress. She giggled softly to herself, after expressing amazement. Her first thought was telling someone when she got back home, of this amazing place, but then, she stopped to wonder who exactly she could tell and if she would even be believed. They all already thought her crazy, what was she supposed to say to them about this place, that wouldn't make her look even crazier?

 A soft knock pulled her into the present, and she answered, "Come in."

 Juno stepped into the room, and smiled, seeing her in the dress, "You look so pretty." 

 Endia beamed, "I know, right? God! I've had such an awesome day, Juno."

 "I'm happy you're happy. I told you I'd take you somewhere special." He responded.

 She let out a deep sigh, "This place, is indeed special, Juno. I wish everyone at home could see it." 

 "It's for your eyes only." 

 She lowered herself onto a small bed in the room, "To think I'll have to go back home now…" She had had a good time, so good, the thought of going back home to be the freak, seemed so unappealing at this moment. She hadn't known acceptance like this in a long while, hadn't met people that liked her even before really knowing her. And none of the love she had received since she arrived felt fake, it was so genuine, it flowed through her, and flowed through the town. 

 Juno sat next to her, "You don't have to if you don't want to." He spoke softly.

 Endia narrowed her eyes at her friend- that was an option? "How do you mean?"

****

 Endia sat on the bed, staring at Juno in silence, as she tried to process the information he had just dumped onto her laps. 

 It had all been a lie...okay, maybe not so much a lie, but not fully true. He had deceived her all this time, allowed her to go along with this idea that he was indeed her imaginary friend. There was nothing imaginary about Juno, he was very real, just not to everyone else in the human world. Only to her. 

 Juno watched her, his eyes filled with so much hope, as he awaited her response. He nibbled at his bottom lip, his pointy ears moving back and forth, in an almost hypnotic fashion, "If…if you're real, and this place is real, and only I could see you, then…why am I here? How am I here?" she asked. Surely, there was some rule, about humans mixing with mythical creatures, she had read enough books about them as a child, to know that humans weren't supposed to infiltrate their world, yet, here she was. 

 Endia had had a lot of questions swirling in her head, a part of her was still in shock, but another part of her had been thinking of that one question since Juno had finished narrating everything to her. Surely, there had to be a reason she could see an elf all this time, and she was now in some mythical world, away from the real world. It had to mean something for her. 

 "Well…" Juno shrugged, "…I honestly, don't know how to answer that. As elves, we are sometimes assigned to people, it could be for any reason. I was supposed to be your companion, but they never really tell us much of our assignments, or why we are assigned to them. I cannot answer why or how you're here, I just know, I was sent to be your companion, until you reached adulthood. I only got the message after your seventeenth birthday that you had to be brought here." He finished.

 Endia was unsure of what to make of that answer. He had barely given her anything. She knew she should be having a panic attack right now, but for some reason, the reality of her situation had yet to settle within her, enough to have an attack, "Can I…can I go back home? To my world?" she asked.

 "I can't say."

 Her eyes widened, "You don't know? Juno, what about my parents? They must be going crazy looking for me, my mom…"

 "They won't be looking for you." Juno stated simply, "When you cross over into this world, all traces of you disappear from your old world, so, it's like you never existed there." 

 Endia gave him a blank stare, "What?" she asked, she linked a couple of times, as if trying to process the information in her head, "You erased me?" she asked, as she flew off the bed.

 "No, not erased…"

 "I've watched all the Avenger's movies, Juno, I know what a Thanos snap does."

 "This is different, with this, there's no heartbreak for your parents because you were never their child, to begin with. They never knew you."

 Endia didn't know if Juno was trying to make the idea sound better or worse, but to her ears, it sounded like a sour deal. If she was gone to her family, what would she do here? Returning to her world, meant no one would know her, and right now, it sounded much better to have a reputation for being a freak, than none at all. 

 "So, I'm just supposed to start again? Build something here, with strangers? I know they say adulthood means being weaned off your parents, and starting a life on your own, but I didn't expect to start a crash course so early."

 Juno reached for her hand and lowered her back onto the bed, to sit, "I know this is a lot now, but I promise you, it will get better. Soon, you'll learn your purpose. Everyone here has a purpose, and the best part is, those you'll meet, will be kind and sweet to you. You can stay here with us, follow me and my siblings to the farm, or the factory, whichever you prefer. You can have a personal room too." 

 Endia listened to Juno, her mind working a mile a minute. While everything he said sounded nice, she was wary. What did she know of living in a magical kingdom such as this? she might not have been leaving behind much in the real world, but at least, there was familiarity. 

 "Let me leave you to sleep on it, you look tired from the day's activities." Juno offered.

 Endia wanted to tell him she wasn't tired, but then, she felt a sudden bubble of exhaustion swallow her, "I still, want to talk." She said drowsily.

 Juno nodded, "I know. We will talk more when you wake up, okay?" he got off the bed, and helped her lie on it fully.

 Despite her best attempts, the lull of sleep was too great for her. She snuggled into the soft pillow beneath her head.

 "Sleep tight, Endia." She vaguely heard Juno say.

 By the time the elf stepped out of the room and closed the door, Endia had drifted into sleep.

CHAPTER THREE

 "My goodness, she's so adorable." 

 A middle-aged man hovered over a baby, as a younger woman rocked her in her arms, "I know, I can't believe we created such a perfect angel." The woman spoke, she raised the baby to her lips and gave her a tiny peck on her chubby cheeks.

 "Well, I can. Her mother is an ethereal being, after all." The man stated, he placed a chaste kiss atop the blushing woman's head.

 "She's barely been here an hour, and I don't even want to let her go, Rivers, I think I'm obsessed." The woman joked. 

  "Me and you both, my love." The man responded, "We will have to prepare her for the royal presentation though. The people have waited long for a princess, and it is only just we present her to them."

 "Can't we be selfish for a little longer, my love? I do not think I want to share her with the world yet."

 "Selfishness is but a dishonorable trait, Lavei, unbecoming of royalty."

  The woman sighed softly, "What shall we name her?"

 "Endia, like the rising of the sun."

 "Endia." The woman breathed, as she looked upon the baby with love, "I love it."

 The scene suddenly changed; the man and woman stood a distance away, watching her. Endia could tell she wasn't just looking in from outside now. The man and woman were looking directly at her, she even turned around to ensure, and no one else was behind her.

 "Is that her?" the woman asked softly. 

 "I believe it is." The man stated.

 The couple approached her a bit cautiously. Endia didn't know if she was supposed to move away, but she did not attempt to do so. She watched the woman tear up, once they were closer, "Oh, Rivers, it is her." The woman stated, she reached out to touch Endia, her touch felt warm and her hand soft, "…she's so beautiful." 

 Endia knew she had never seen these people in her life, if she had, she would have remembered, however, there was something incredibly familiar about them. It was like she was supposed to know them.

 "Endia." The man spoke up, "You're back."

 "Back? Back where?" she asked.

 "Home." The woman replied.

 Endia's eyes flew open. She suddenly sat up and looked about her, her thudding heart calming when she realized she was in her assigned bedroom. She buried her face in her hands, as she tried to make sense of that odd dream. Who were those people? Who was the baby? And what kind of odd dream was that? 

 Perhaps being in this place, was messing with her head. It had been only three days since she got here, and she was already having such a strange dream. 

 A light knock at the door drew her from her reverie, "Endia, are you awake?" Juno's light voice filtered into the bedroom.

 "Yes, Juno, come in." 

  The door opened slightly and Juno walked in, a small smile upon his cherubic face, "You look well-rested." Juno began.

 "I don't feel so." She responded.

 His face paled slightly, "Oh, should I leave you to rest, then?"

 "And go back to that dream? No, please." She sighed as she got to her feet.

 "You suffered night terrors in your sleep?" Juno's words were filled with concern. 

 She shook her head in the negative, "It wasn't night terrors, and it was sort of a dream, a very odd dream." Endia paused, trying to recall the dream and how it made her feel. The man and the woman were the same ones that were with a baby in the first part of her dream, and they looked at her with such familiarity and love. It bothered her that she didn't know them, or why they were in her dreams. 

 Juno approached her, watching the emotions dance upon her face, "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked.

 Juno was a confidante, there was absolutely nothing she hadn't spoken to him about since he came into her life, and she found that speaking with him, and left her with a certain level of comfort. It was an act of release, and once she was done with it, she was instantly relieved of whatever caused her to worry, "I don't know…I don't even understand what it is, or if I should be talking about it." she responded. 

 Juno watched her, eager to relieve his friend of whatever troubled her mind so early in the day, but unsure of what to do to help if she wouldn't divulge the source of her troubles. There was only so much he could do, "Perhaps if you step out for the day, you could arrange your thoughts enough to conclude by the night?" he asked. 

 Endia nibbled at her bottom lip in thought, while her time spent outside on the day she had arrived, had been exciting, that had been before she realized she was not returning to her world. She didn't know what outside would feel like today, knowing it would be the first time since her arrival, that she would be going out again. However it was, nothing could be worse than being cooped up in here, her thoughts the only thing keeping her company. She wanted to learn what Juno got up to in this world.

 "That sounds like a plan." She responded.

 Juno's face lit up in a smile, At least that was some progress, "Today, we'll be doing things a bit differently. I'd like you to see a nice place you can have your bath."

 Endia cocked her brows, she had been having her bath in a rather tiny washroom, that wasn't built for someone her size. She hadn't complained, because it would be rude, but hearing this, meant Juno had taken cognizance of her discomfort, and had a solution, "Really?" she asked.

 "Yep, when you're ready, I'll take you to a nice waterfall, Risa and her friends will help you from there."

 "Risa?" Endia asked.

 "Oh! You never got their names, the fairies."

 Endia's eyes lit up, the fairies seemed nice, and she wouldn't mind meeting them today, "I would like that. Are you working today?"

 "Yes, we are all set for the farm. I won't be with you long, that's why I'm enlisting the help of the fairies. Once I show you where to have your bath, they'll take care of your clothing and feeding, and then you could come to join us at the farm. Is that fine with you?"

 "I don't know my way around." 

 "Don't worry, Risa's familiar. She will show you where we farm." 

 Endia nodded, "Okay, I'll be out in a bit, let me just make my bed."

 Juno glanced at the slightly scattered bed, "Oh, that won't be a problem." It only took a flick of Juno's wrist and the bed was made so neatly, it was like it was never slept on. 

 Endia gasped in surprise, "You can do that?" she asked.

 "Of course. Elves don't have the same magical powers as the fairies or witches, but some of our furniture is laced with magic, and obeys certain commands."

 "That is so cool. Gosh! I wish we had magic furniture while I was growing up, could've saved me a lot of time." 

 Juno grinned at her, "Come, let me show you where you can have your bath." 

 ***

 There were only a few things Endia enjoyed doing, and one of them was swimming. There was a certain thrill that came with moving in the water. Her parents had gotten a pool in their home, when she was ten, in a bid to keep her busy. It worked, perhaps a little too much. They never expected she would lose herself in the coolness of the water, her father particularly never understood why she only swam for recreational purposes, when she could have joined the swim team.

 While the pool was good though, the waterfall Juno brought her to, felt like heaven. At first, she hadn't understood how Juno expected her to have her bath in the full public glare, sure, there were a lot of shrubs and bushes around, but anyone could just come upon her underneath a fountain. However, when the water parted, leading into a small cave, lit up with gems, Endia lost her breath. It could be said to be the most beautiful sight she had ever seen. Juno gave her a rundown of some of the toiletries he had set up for her within the cave, before leaving her to have her bath.

 And so, that was what she did…for the last ten or so minutes. The feel of the water on her skin was heavenly. It was warm, caressing her naked back like nothing she had ever felt. She had a permanent smile on her face, as she dipped her full form inside the water and came back up. She pushed her hair back, as she giggled to herself. She reached for one of the glowing rocks, as she waded through the water. She placed her hand on the rock and suddenly gasped.

 The couple from her dreams stood in the water, with an older man, and the same baby she had seen. The older man had the baby in his hands and dipped the baby inside the water, as he spoke, "The child must be one with the water, as she is one with the earth. A phoenix may rise from the earth, or through the water, and into the air." 

 He raised the baby out of the water, it looked serene, which was odd. It hadn't even made a sound, unlike what was expected of a newborn. The older man muttered a few words under his breath, as he placed the wet baby into the waiting arms of its mother. The couple doted upon the child, with so much excitement, it was clear this was their first child. 

 Endia pulled her hand away from the rock, her entire body trembling. What was that again? Was she sick? What were all these thoughts in her head and what triggered them? 

 "Endia…"

 She yelped as she turned around so swiftly, that she lost her balance and fell into the water. 

 There was a collective gasp above her, just before she felt herself being pulled out of the water. Endia spluttered and coughed to clear her airways, as the fairies all spoke at once, in a bid to ascertain her state of health.

 "I'm fine, I'm fine." She declared as she ran her hand over her face, to get rid of the residue of water against her eyes. She opened them, and then almost immediately, remembered she was naked. She quickly placed her hand across her breast, to hide her naked form from the fairies. They must have found her reaction amusing, as they giggled.

 "Endia, Juno said you needed some help." Risa, the blue-winged fairy spoke first. 

 "I just need clothes."

 "We can dress you up. Are you ready?" Mae, the green-winged fairy spoke up. Her jade-colored eyes gleaming in excitement. 

 "I guess so." After whatever that was, she had just seen, Endia was very much ready to get out of this cave and into the sunlight. She had had enough time to herself, the farm was looking very much attractive right now. 

 "Well, let's get to it then." Risa beamed. The third fairy was a pink-winged fairy that remained silent for the most part, since their introduction yesterday. Her name was Fauna, she was a wee bit tinier than Risa and Mae. She giggled softly; it seemed to be the only sound she made. 

 Risa dived into the water, and rose out of it, taking with her…water. Endia watched with wide eyes, filled with amazement, as Risa's tiny body began to form a dress on hers with water. The dress felt cool against her skin, as it started a little higher than her mid-thigh, and wrapped around her entire body, to her left shoulder. 

Endia looked down her form, as she ran her hand over the cool, dress with a leathery feel to it. it clung to her body, in ways nothing she had ever worn had clung to her form. She had never really taken notice of her body all this time, but the dress looked and felt great. And to think it was made with water, was there no end to the awesomeness of this place?

 Fauna was next, as she flew around Endia's hair, it felt like air moving about her, as she dried up her hair and braided it. Mae finished up the look with a dahlia in her hair. 

 "And, we're done!" Risa exclaimed, she seemed rather impressed with their work, and Endia had to admit she was impressed as well. And it wasn't just because this was the fastest she had been able to dress up and get ready, this had to be the most beautiful outfit she had ever been in. It looked like some expensive dress gotten from a high-end store. 

 "This is beautiful." 

 "You look really beautiful," Mae stated.

 "Come, Juno's waiting at the farm." Fauna stated.

 Endia was eager to get on the way, as they stepped out of the cave, she looked back at it, and shivered slightly, as the thought of what she had seen inside there came to her. She just had to shove it at the back of her mind. Being in a new place was sure to have side effects, she had never been away from home, and to think that she was not only away from home for the first time, but also, away from her world…it still hadn't settled in her mind that that was even possible, she still thought this whole adventure had some expiry date, and once it was time, she would just find herself back home. Maybe this time, she would reemerge in her family's pool. 

 She followed the fairies, once again walking through a somewhat familiar path, as they led her to the farm. They would occasionally stop somewhere to play with some flowers, Mae had gotten her an apple, which she nibbled on as they walked. Endia tried to keep up with the fairies, laughing hysterically, as they would fly around her head, and she made a show of trying to catch them. So engrossed was she, in their little game, that she didn't notice the oncoming entourage until she tripped on her feet and stumbled right into someone with a light yelp.

 The person had no opportunity to prepare for her fall, as they both went down, Endia only saved from hitting the ground, by whatever human shield she had hit. Once she realized the earth had stopped moving, Endia opened her eyes which had been tightly shut. The first thing she noticed was a rather pale neck. Her eyes drifted higher, past a pair of tiny lips that formed a thin line, and right to golden eyes. She was struck by the color of his eyes, he looked a beautiful as all the other creatures she had seen in this world, but there was something rather unique about him still.

 "If you're quite done with perusing my face, I would advise you to get off me." He spoke, with a voice that was both deep and airy. 

 Endia's eyes widened in embarrassment, as he scrambled off the stunning specimen of male, her cheeks flushed, as she muttered an apology to him. as the words left her lips, she noticed the centaurs that stood rigidly behind the man, who was now getting on his feet equally. He looked nothing like someone who had just broken another person's fall…he also had the most human attributes of any other creature she had seen since she got here. Aside from his golden eyes, and somewhat unnaturally pale skin, every other feature he had, was human. His hair fell to his mid-back in blonde locks. His cheekbones were so high, she didn't doubt he would easily feature in a Vogue magazine, his brows were finely arched, and had just the right amount of fullness to it. He was the kind of perfect most people could only dream of…including her. This man put to shame, every single boy she had ever crushed on, from elementary school to high school. 

 "I care not for your blabbering or whatever apology you wish to tender, I am concerned, however, for the safety of every living creature in this kingdom, and I cannot say if some other creature, like these little friends of yours, would have fared well, with your weight crushing them." the man spoke.

 Endia had never heard words so offensive that sounded so beautiful, "I didn't mean to crash into you."

 "I understand that well and good, no one means to just tumble and fall on a pathway, however, some of us walk, to avoid things of such nature. You should try walking, rather than dancing on a common path." 

 "I wasn't dancing." She shot at him, in a bid to defend herself. The last thing Endia wanted, was to appear a fool to this person, whoever he is. And the playful smirk he had on his lips, as he addressed her, gave off the idea that he probably thought her a proper clown. 

 "Of course, you weren't." he smiled. 

 Those were the last words he spoke to her, as he walked right around her and continued on his way, the two centaurs that escorted him, following. Endia stood at the pathway, a mixture of shock and embarrassment cementing her to the same spot. Suddenly, the idea of being invisible didn't seem so repulsive anymore. She had stayed eighteen years in her world, and not once, had she had an encounter that left her feeling so mortified. Leave it to her to ruin her reputation with possibly the most gorgeous creature to ever walk whatever world this was, on only her second day. It certainly didn't take long for normalcy to begin its establishment in her life. 

 "Sorry about that Endia," Risa spoke up first, in a tiny voice. 

 "Yes, we should have alerted you that he was coming." Fauna added. 

 All three fairies looked contrite. Endia wasn't even mad at them, she was more pissed off at herself for turning into a blubbering fool in the presence of that man. Perhaps if she was a bit more assertive, people wouldn't think they could just step all over her and traipse away. This wasn't the fairies fault, she had allowed herself to lose her mind for a brief moment, and forgotten who she was. Strictly because she found herself in a different world, didn't mean much had changed with her. 

 "It's fine." She responded, "Let's go to the farm." 

 The fairies shared a look between each other, as if trying to decipher if she was truly fine, or just saying the words, but they decided to take her words for it, as they continued on their way, a bit more quietly.

 Endia followed the fairies, unable to pull her thoughts away from the arresting man they had encountered. Who was he anyway? And why was he walking around with cent…? She came to a sudden halt, as her mind pulled up the conversation she had had with Juno just yesterday, "Did I just crash into a member of the Royal house?" she asked.

 It was one thing to embarrass herself in the presence of a really attractive man, but if that attractive man, was in any way, Royalty, she figured that expiry date for her stay in this world, would be much earlier than she anticipated. 

CHAPTER FOUR

 The prince.

 Endia had not been able to keep still since she was informed by Risa that the man she had stumbled into, was none other than the third most important person in the Royal family. She had arrived at Juno's farm, a mess. She couldn't stop imagining the worst-case scenarios, she had inquired about the laws of the land, and just to be sure she wouldn't be beheaded for even touching the crowned prince at all. 

 Juno tried to assure her all was well, and she wouldn't have to worry about some severe punishment for stumbling into the prince, but Endia knew better than to take his word for much. When he had promised her he would take her away, he hadn't exactly given her full disclosure. Now, she was in a strange world, having weird dreams, that turned out to be more of visions than actual dreams and running into a pale, golden-eyed prince, surrounded by centaurs…oh, and the family she had left behind, had no recollection of who she was. 

 Not much good could come from such odds as it stood. Nevertheless, she did try to continue and pretend she was fine. Not much good would come of her worrying either. The last thing she wanted to do was make her host family uncomfortable. 

 Working on the farm, was a good way to forget about most of the events that had occurred since she arrived here…it was more of an orchard, than an actual farm though. They were picking berries. It was an activity she had never thought anything of, before coming here, but she found it rather enjoyable. She was given a small basket, in which she dropped the berries she picked. She rather liked the weather here; the sun was out, but it was warm, also, the dress she had on, seemed to keep her cool. She made a note to ask how possible that was, although, she was starting to learn that a lot of things were quite possible in this place. 

 As she walked over to the large sacks, where they deposited the berries, for transportation by the centaurs, she was joined by another elf- Lou. They had been introduced earlier when she first reached the farm. Lou lived two houses away from Juno's family, he was a chubby elf, who seemed to mostly keep to himself. Endia had not seen him engage anyone else in the conversation, he seemed rather immersed in his work.

 "How are you adjusting?" Lou asked her.

 She was rather surprised that he spoke to her at all, but she answered nonetheless, "Well, I haven't been here long, but so far so good." She responded. 

 He nodded, and then kept silent, as they took the short walk. Endia wondered why he was keeping up with her pace, rather than overtaking her, or allowing her to move ahead. 

 "What powers do you have?" he asked, out of the blue.

 Endia blinked in wonder, "Powers?" she asked.

 "Of course. Surely, your hosts must have informed you, that everyone here, has something they bring. The elves are general workers, the fairies mostly tend to flowers and help with light work, the centaurs are guards and do hard labor, you don't look like you belong to any of these groups. How did you get here?" 

 Endia was unsure of how to respond to that. While Juno had intimated her on what every other creature did here, he hadn't mentioned that she was supposed to have any powers of her own, or if there were consequences for being powerless, "I…I got a lift from a bird." She responded. 

 Lou paused in his steps, and Endia paused with him. she was ear to learn of whatever information Lou had for her, he had to be interested in helping her, to have come to her and asked such a question, "You got a lift from a bird??" he asked, she could hear the disbelief in his voice. 

 If even mythical creatures, in a mythical world, thought such a line ridiculous, she couldn't begin to imagine what her human family would have thought of the explanation, "Yes."

 "Do you have any skills?" he asked once again.

 "I…" did she have any skills? What exactly could she do? "…I can swim, and draw." She responded. 

 Lou's brows furrowed in thought, "That doesn't sound exceptional." 

 Endia chuckled, to hide her hurt, "There's nothing exceptional about me." She responded.

 Lou looked her over, "If you're here, and you're not an elf, or a centaur, a fairy or a dragon, then there certainly is something exceptional about you. You look human; no ordinary human makes it into this world." Lou stated. The elf emptied his basket of berries into a sack.

 Endia had been so caught up in their conversation, she hadn't realized they had reached the offloading point. She made quick work of emptying her basket too, as Lou turned around and walked away from her. She wanted to go after him and ask him what he knew if he even knew anything, but the way he walked away, meant, he was done with the conversation. The fact that he had even spoken to her at all, must have been quite the challenge for him. She doubted he would be open to any form of interrogation. 

 She logged it in the back of her mind, she would be asking Juno about that, once the day was over. That was one more thing to worry about, of the many she had been saddled within just three days of being here. The human world may have been challenging, but it hadn't started half as difficult as this was turning out. If she had all of these issues so early, perhaps her troubles were not quite as over as Juno had made her believe it would be, once she came here.

 ****

By the end of the day, all the elves had to return home. Juno had suggested she go back to the waterfall to have her bath, but Endia rejected his suggestion, preferring to use the uncomfortable stall, the thought of returning to that waterfall and seeing that vision again, was rather unsettling for her. 

 She had a nice meal, consisting mostly of fruits and vegetables. They didn't eat any meat here, and it was just as well. 

 She had stayed quiet after her little interaction with Lou, as she lost herself in her thoughts. She had thought she would be free of any worries in this new world, but it seemed like every time she took a breath, something was coming at her. 

 Juno noticed her silence, and for the most part, he kept quiet. His family was aware that she was his guest, and knew not to interfere with her, but he could tell her silence worried them as well. they could feel it when a person was bothered. So, when dinner was over, Juno went to Endia's bedroom to speak with her.

 When Juno poked his little head through her door, Endia was rather relieved, as she wasn't sure how to approach Juno with all the questions she had, "Endia." He called softly.

 "Come in, Juno."

The elf walked into the room and took a seat on her bed, "You don't seem happy." He stated.

 Endia sighed, "I spoke to Lou." She began, she supposed that was a good place to start. She was yet to tell him she had bumped into the prince, or that she was seeing an unfamiliar couple in her sleep. Those seemed like more difficult topics.

 Juno seemed surprised by the revelation, "Lou doesn't speak to anyone." He stated.

 "I noticed, that's why I was surprised he came to me." She stated.

 "Well, what did he tell you?"

 Endia shrugged, "He asked if I had any skills or powers, he said everyone has something here, and that if I was an ordinary human, I wouldn't be here." She looked over to Juno, to gauge his reaction. She wasn't sure what she was looking for, but the look of confusion on his face wasn't it.

 "Well, Lou's right on that. Everyone I know here has a gift, but if you weren't supposed to be here, I wouldn't have been assigned to you, and you surely would never have made it to this world."

  Endia waited for more, but Juno's long pause, and the way he worried his bottom lip in thought, made her realize he probably didn't have more for her, "…but you don't know what powers I may have." She finished for him.

 He nodded, "As I told you when you first came, I don't have a lot of information. We just do as we're asked, like elves. I wish I could help you with more."

 "Well, do you know someone who can? The people who send you on these…assignments, surely, they could have some information." She blurted out, her words filled with hope. If Juno didn't have sufficient information, someone higher up would. The only thing she had established, was that she had a purpose here, but there was nothing more frustrating than not knowing one's purpose. Back in the human world, it was easy to just blend in with the crowd, and live a mediocre life, but the standards here were a bit higher, she couldn't just blend in. 

 "I'm afraid I don't have the power to summon my Master. He comes to me, and he hasn't come to me since we arrived."

 That seemed like a rather shitty thing to do. 

 "Wait…"

Endia sat up straighter, her ears perking up, and eager to hear whatever solution Juno had thought up.

 He seemed to consider his words a bit, "…I don't know anyone who had done it, but I've heard, that any creature, born in this world, who can't find their purpose, can go to the Royal House, and it shall be revealed." 

 The mention of the Royal House brought flashbacks of her falling on top of the prince. Endia wasn't sure hers would be a welcome face at the Royal House, "Is there another option?" she asked.

 Juno shook his head, "Not that I know of."

 That was a bummer, "Can I sleep on it?"

 Juno shrugged, "As you wish."

 As Endia bid Juno goodnight, she had a feeling that suggestion would be even less palatable by the morning, but it could very well be her only option. 

 ***

 Endia woke up to light knocking at her door. She had had a dreamless sleep and was thankful for that. She asked whoever was on the other side in, and Juno walked into her room, in an obvious state of worry.

 "What's the matter?" she asked, as soon as he entered.

 "You've been summoned…." He began, the words, seemingly heavy, "…by the Royal House."